Zinedine Zidane & Nine Other Managers Who Triumphantly Returned

Zinedine Zidane returned to Real Madrid on Monday just 10 months after resigning from the reigning European Champions.

Here, Pundit Arena takes a look at Zidane and other famous managers who returned to their former clubs, some more than once.

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Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)

2016-2018, 2019 –

During his first tenure as Real Madrid manager Zidane brought incredible success to the Spanish giants, delivering three Champions League trophies in his two and a half years at the club.

Since his departure, however, all has not been well at the Bernabeu with both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari having been sacked in less than a year, and the Madrid club out of European football.

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Kevin Keegan (Newcastle)

1992-1997, 2008

Keegan became the darling of St James’ Park in a fantastic five-year spell in charge of Newcastle during which he took the Magpies from the second division to the brink of a Premier League title while playing scintillating attacking football.

But after Newcastle collapsed to gift Manchester United the 1996 league crown, Keegan left the club before returning 11 years later. It was a short-lived homecoming, though, as he fell out with controversial owner Mike Ashley and resigned after less than nine months in charge.

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Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)

1985-1991, 2011-2012

‘King Kenny’ became manager for a second time at Anfield in 2011, two decades after an emotional resignation brought the end to his first, trophy-laden stint.

Dalglish led the Reds to the 2012 League Cup, which remains their only title since 2006, but left at the end of the 2011-2012 season after a disappointing eighth-placed league finish.

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Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich)

1987-1991, 2009, 2011-2013, 2017-2018

Heynckes has won four Bundesliga titles as Bayern coach — the first in 1989 and the most recent just last year.

He left for a third time after sealing an incredible 2013 treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles, and returned to lead Bayern out of a crisis in 2017 when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked.

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Fabio Capello (Real Madrid)

1996-1997, 2006-2007

Capello led Real to the La Liga title in his first season in charge, and signed key players such as Clarence Seedorf and Roberto Carlos, only to be sacked.

He came back to the Spanish capital 10 years later and helped Real end a four-year wait for a major title as he won La Liga in 2007, but was sacked again just weeks later for his pragmatic playing style.

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Fatih Terim (Turkey)

1993-1996, 2005-2009, 2013-2017

Terim has been one of the most successful managers in Turkey’s history, leading the national side to the Euro 2008 semi-finals in his second spell as coach.

A third stint ended in 2017, but continuing his trend of preferring familiar surroundings, he rejoined Galatasaray for a fourth time.

But it did not take long for him to return after being sacked by Inter, as he replaced the sacked Carlo Ancelotti in Turin, going on to take Juve to another Champions League final in 2003.

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Matt Busby (Manchester United)

1945-1969, 1970-71

Busby was, without doubt, one of the game’s greatest ever managers, having survived the tragic Munich air disaster in 1958 that decimated his much-loved ‘Busby Babes’ side to help United become the first English winners of the European Cup 10 years later.

He retired the following season, but briefly returned to the Old Trafford dugout after the sacking of Wilf McGuinness.

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Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)

2004-2007, 2013-2015

Mourinho won major titles in all three seasons of his first spell at Chelsea, and returned in 2013 amid great fanfare, declaring himself “the happy one”.

He won the Premier League title in his second season back, but was sacked a second time after a catastrophic start to the Blues’ title defence in 2015.

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Leonardo Jardim (Monaco)

2014-2018, 2019-

Jardim led a young Monaco side to the 2017 French title, toppling the might and money of Paris Saint-Germain. Despite losing a host of key players, his side finished second last season, but he was dumped and replaced by Thierry Henry after a dreadful start to the current campaign.